And the winner is… Latinas. “I know that it’s a competition,” said Zoe Saldaña. “But all I have witnessed is us just showing up for each other and celebrating each other and it’s just so beautiful,” Saldaña said through tears while accepting her win in the 2025 Golden Globes’ Best Actress in a Supporting Role category for her performance as Rita in Emilia Pérez.
We are only six days into a new year, and our hermanas have much to celebrate. That is thanks in part to the 2025 Golden Globes, where Latinas took home a couple of the biggest prizes, most notably in the coveted actress categories.
And all we can say about it is – hell ya!
“What I feel is absolute joy,” said Saldaña. Speaking to the press moments after her win she continued, “This recognition is paramount for my continuation as an artist.”
The Dominican and Puerto Rican actress wasn’t the sole successful sister at the Globes. Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres took home the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for her role in I’m Still Here.
“I want to dedicate this to my mother,” Torres said from the stage. “She was here 25 years ago and this is proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments.” Torres’s mother, Fernanda Montenegro was nominated in the same category for her 1998 role in Central Station, though she did not win. Ironically enough, Central Station was also directed by Walter Salles who directed Torres in I’m Still Here.
Emilia Pérez, the French-directed film about a Mexican drug cartel leader who undergoes sexual affirmation surgery was perhaps the biggest swing out of Hollywood in decades. It paid off. The musical earned 10 nominations (the most for any film) and took home four including; Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language, Best Original Song for “El Mal,” Supporting Actress, and the most sought-after Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).
Those are facts.
It is also a fact that many more Latinos were up for a Globe and did not win. Latinas Issa López (the showrunner for True Detective: Night Country) and Francesca Sloane (the showrunner for Mr. and Mrs. Smith) both saw their shows nominated and lose. Night Country did, however, get a win for its lead Jodie Foster in the Best Actress in a Television Limited Series category.
The hermanos did not fare well at all. Colman Domingo, up for Best Actor in Sing Sing, lost out to Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. Diego Luna was hoping for a knock-out win in the best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Andy, the BFF boxing manager in Hulu’s La Máquina but didn’t succeed. Alfonso Cuarón and his Apple TV+ project Disclaimer were nominated in the Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, along with True Detective: Night Country, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and The Penguin. While these three either heavily feature Latinos or were made by Latinos, winner Baby Reindeer with Latina Nava Mau did too. So, we are putting that in the “win” column for the gente.
Latinas Liza Colón-Zayas (up for best television supporting actress) and Selena Gomez (double nominee for Emilia Pérez and Only Murders in the Building) also came up short. Sofía Vergara, who lost out for her role in Griselda, jokingly said to Jodie Foster, “No. No. Give me one!” as Foster accepted the night’s sole win for True Detective: Night Country.
All things considered, Latinos didn’t win many, but we did win big. Are we disappointed that we didn’t win ‘em all? Yes. But (and I say this with my big Latina butt), we are choosing to heed the advice of the newest Golden Globe-winning actress, Zoe Saldaña. We are choosing to show up and support each other because, that’s a beautiful thing, And damn it to the devil, we won’t let ‘em take away our victories.
